How to Add Members to User Groups and Assign Task-Level Edit Permissions Using Node-Level Authorization in KTern Planner?

How to Add Members to User Groups and Assign Task-Level Edit Permissions Using Node-Level Authorization in KTern Planner?

Node-Level Authorization controls who can edit each task in KTern Planner. This article walks through creating User Groups, adding members, and assigning those groups as editors to specific tasks.

What is Node-Level Authorization?

Node-Level Authorization is a permission framework in KTern Planner that determines which users can edit specific tasks (nodes) in the project hierarchy. Only users within the assigned User Group — or those who inherit permissions from a parent task — can modify task details such as dates, resources, and dependencies.

Step 1 — Create a User Group

  1. Navigate — Transformation Hub → Users → User Groups
  2. Action — Click + Add New User Group (top right corner)
  3. Fill in — Group Name, Description, Owner, and Members
  4. Save — Click Create to finalize the group

Info
Only Project Administrators can create or delete User Groups. Group Owners can edit their own group details.

Step 2 — Add or Edit Members in a User Group

  1. Locate — Find the User Group in the list
  2. Edit — Click the pencil (Edit) icon in the rightmost column
  3. Members — Add or remove users as needed
  4. Save — Click Save to apply changes

Step 3 — Assign User Group as Editor to a Task

  1. Open — Navigate to the KTern Planner
  2. Locate — Find the task you want to restrict editing for
  3. Editor Column — Click the Editor column for that task
  4. Select — Choose the User Group from the dropdown (multiple groups can be assigned)
  5. Result — Only users in the assigned group can now edit that task

How Authorization Inheritance Works

If a parent task has an Editor Group assigned, all child tasks automatically inherit that authorization. When a different group is explicitly assigned at the child level as the Editor, the child task holds both its own assigned Editor Group and the inherited group from the parent — and this combined inheritance continues to propagate down to all further descendant tasks.

Authorization Hierarchy Example

Task 1.0  →  Editor: Team A

  └── Task 1.1  →  Inherits: Team A

  └── Task 1.2  →  Editor: Team B, Inherits: Team A

       └── Task 1.2.1  →  Inherits: Team B, Team A

Key Rules

  1. Project Administrators can change the admin designation and manage all user groups
  2. Group Owners can edit their own user group details
  3. Only users in the editor group (or inherited group) can edit task details 
  4.  All users can view tasks, but editing is restricted to authorized personnel
  5. Deleting a User Group requires reassigning all task ownership first